


Sacrifice

by meddlesome_hero



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mentioned Shadow Weaver | Light Spinner (She-Ra), Pre-Canon, disaster cat shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:20:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26289394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meddlesome_hero/pseuds/meddlesome_hero
Summary: "Catra had to suppress the urge of rolling her eyes. She knew that Adora was a bit slow but this surpassed her expectations. Adora must be really something if it had taken so much time for her to figure out the reality of war. How come she didn't know it? The possibility of dying was something as undeniable as the fact that water is wet and the Fright Zone is a hellhole. Catra had known all those things since she was very young... Shadow Weaver had made sure that she knew."The day when Adora learns that there's a high possibility of dying in battle is the day that Catra makes a very important choice.
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 52





	Sacrifice

The atmosphere was awfully dense in the cadets' quarters that day. It was only natural considering that they just had a lecture on the horrors of war and all the losses that they might experience along with very graphic evidence supporting those statements. Realizing that they or their loved ones might die is always harsh, specially for 10 year olds who’re not used to really think about mortality, but it was a necessary truth that had to be confronted. Future soldiers needed to know what were they getting into in order to strengthen their loyalty to the Horde. This was no game, and those who couldn't take it seriously were not cut out to be soldiers.

"Oh, no! A princess got me! All I see are sparkles!", Catra clutched her shirt and let herself fall into the bunk bed while spasming dramatically. One of her best performances, she thought, with her eyes all rolled back, tongue out and everything. It was a shame that her audience didn’t appreciate it.

“Grow up, Catra! This is serious!", said Adora in a tone that could’ve been stern if her voice hadn’t come out so shrill.

The other girl only laughed and rolled in the bed.

“Catra! This is no joke! Weren’t you listening? We could lose a limb out there, get captured or even d-die”, as she said that, Adora sat on the other side of the bed.

Catra couldn't see the expression of her friends' face, but she could hear her accelerated heartbeat and erratic breathing. She left out a soft chuckle and crawled beside her friend.

“Don’t tell me that you got scared, dummy”, she said while placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder.

"What? No!", Adora flinched and turned to look at her, blue eyes about to brim with tears. She rubbed her eyes and sighed. "Ok... Maybe a little... But you heard them, didn't you? Things could go horribly wrong out there, we might not be able to survive our first battle. It’s a bit scary to think about it, right?”.  
Catra had to suppress the urge of rolling her eyes. She knew that Adora was a bit slow but this surpassed her expectations. Adora must be really something if it had taken so much time for her to figure out the reality of war. How come she didn't know it? The possibility of dying was something as undeniable as the fact that water is wet and the Fright Zone is a hellhole. Catra had known all those things since she was very young... Shadow Weaver had made sure that she knew.

_"You won't last long, you’ll only be canon fodder.”_ The sorceress had told her while restraining her with magic, “ _So at least try to be useful while you have time left, you insolent child”._

At first those words didn’t make sense for the girl, now she knew very well what they meant. Catra wanted more than anything to prove Shadow Weaver wrong, she would not be disposable and she would rise above her peers.

This was all good and well, however, at that moment Catra had other important matters to attend, like making her friend to stop acting like a wimp.

"Hey, Adora. Don't worry", the girl said softly while bumping her friend's arm."Listen, nothing bad is going to happen to us as long as we are together. We promised it, remember?”

Catra wasn’t honest all the time, but for once she meant this and she’ll keep her promise until the end. Nothing bad would happen to Adora, not as long as Catra lived. She stretched her arm and gave her friend a side hug.

"Besides, you know that we're surrounded by huge losers. When we become Force Captains, we'll show them how things are done and win this war before those pesky princesses know what hit them. Ka-pow! I can’t wait, we’re gonna blow so much stuff up!", she exclaimed standing up in her excitement.

This won her half a smile from Adora. That was a good sign.

"I get it.” said Adora clenching her fists, “we just need to get stronger and none of us will get hurt, right?”

"YOU have to get stronger, dumbass. I'm already awesome”.

"Oh really?", before Catra could register the movement, Adora tackled her to the ground and locked her on a headlock, "you still look like a wimpy kitten to me”.

"Hey, let me go!", she squirmed trying to free herself, but Adora's grip got stronger.

"Not until you surrender".

"I'm never gonna give up, you idiot!”

They wrestled for a while until the two were rolling on the floor, Adora successfully pinning the other to the ground.

When Catra saw Adora's laughing face above her, she felt satisfied with herself and genuinely happy too. That was the moment when a new idea formed in her head. Usually her ideas tended to be awesome and correct; this one, however, was dangerous… but the more she looked at her friend the more right it felt. Catra wished to prove herself as someone worthy to be at Adora's level or even higher, she had to believe it if she wanted to show them all her true worth. However, she wouldn't let Adora get hurt, Adora was too important. Not because Shadow Weaver said so, but because Catra knew it was true. At that moment, the feline made a choice, or a promise to be exact. A promise that involved her and Adora but Catra would always keep to herself. From that moment she knew that if worse came to worst she would unblinkingly give her life for Adora in battle. If at the end she was a good-for-nothing like Shadow Weaver said, at least her sacrifice would be useful, not to the Horde, but to Adora.

Years later, at Horde Prime’s ship, Catra remembered that promise and was slightly surprised that it ended up turning into a self-fulfilling prophesy. So many things had happened between them that Catra had forgotten about the possibility of dying for Adora. But now, standing before Horde Prime, she had no choice but to once more hold on to the decision she had taken years ago.

Knowing that this was her choice after all didn’t make it any better. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. She wasn't on the battlefield nor on a princess’s dungeon but instead, she’ll be dying on some unknown place after she had caused so much hurt and destruction that everyone she cared about had left her. Catra couldn't even call her sacrifice heroic when it was just the only good thing she had done in her wretched life.

After a lifetime of running, hiding and always having a way out it was finally over. Her hair was cut, her old clothes, discarded. There was nothing left of who she was. However, even when drowning in despair, a small part of her hoped that it would be worth it. She could hear her own screams but it didn’t matter. It would be fine, she thought, now he'll never get his hands on Adora. Before succumbing to darkness her last thoughts were about how she was finally fulfilling her function. Her sacrifice had at last made her useful.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this is my first fic in this fandom. If you liked it please let me know what you think :).


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